Start Again, Chapter Three

“Are you two ready yet?” Jane asked as she stepped into the doorway of her and Calli’s bedroom. “Practice starts in like twenty minutes.” As she said how long until practice, she looked at the watch on her wrist.

“I need to find my shoes,” I replied, pushing my lips out to almost look as though I was giving a kiss to the air in front of me.

“Which ones are you looking for?” Calliope asked as she turned to face me. She looked around on the floor, despite it being clean, it was always a mystery on where I actually took my shoes off.

“Have you checked by the front door or in your closet?” Jane asked as she stepped into the room, looking around to see if maybe she could see my shoes on her bedroom floor somewhere.

“I’m looking for my black slip-ons,” I replied as I pushed some of my hair behind my left ear before bending down to look underneath the bed.

“The flats, or the regular shoes?” Calliope asked as she opened up her closet doors. She grabbed two sweaters, turning to toss one to Jane before turning around to face me.

“The regular shoes,” I replied, looking up at Calli.

“They’re by the front door,” Jane replied, turning slightly to give Calliope and I one last look before heading out of the bedroom and down the hallway.

“Oh,” I replied as Calliope and I followed Jane out of the bedroom. Walking over to my shoes by the front door, I slipped my feet into them and grabbed my crewneck sweatshirt off of the hook by the door.

…

Pulling my notebook out of the bag sitting next to me on the floor, I reached for my pen out of the side pocket. Despite Jane on the drums, Andrew on bass, Tyler on keyboard, Makayla on guitar, and Vanessa on vocals, the thoughts of the cafe earlier today were screaming through my head.

Atlas.

The light brown hair, and the deep brown eyes. The smile that lit up the room. The body presence that somehow made me feel as though everything was okay, as if I was completely safe.

As I began to write, I saw Calliope look over in my direction out of the corner of my eye. New novel? Spill it out.

Seeing the text banner appear on the top half of my phone screen, I clicked on it to bring up our text thread. Not thoroughly done yet. Will send soon.

I knew that either way it went, she would be looking over my shoulder every now and then when Jane and the other members would take a small break.

Outlining my next novel, I started to smile. Since I started writing at eleven years old, I’ve wanted to write romance. However, it turns more tragic than lighthearted. My tragic romances, however, have made the bestseller list a few times now, so I’d like to think the lighthearted romance turned tragic gets me pretty far.

Apparently people like to get their hearts broken.

“How's the sound?” Vanessa asked as the band stopped and Calliope and I directed our attention from my notebook to the band.

“Tyler seems louder than the rest of y’all,” I replied, looking between all of the members. “I’d tone him down just a little bit so that the music behind you sounds better.” I looked at Vanessa as I spoke, my pen still in hand, ready to be used at any moment to continue my train of thought.

“Noted,” Tyler said as he stepped over to the sound board, messing with a few of the switches and dials before walking over to the keyboard once again.

“From the top,” Vanessa said as she looked back at her band members, her body still facing forward. She stomped her foot as Jane began banging on the drums in front of her, a smile clear across her lips.

As the music started again, I watched for a few moments as they played, soaking in the aspects of my life, the ones I’m certain of.

Calliope will always be here, we’re inseparable. If we were assigned the same occupations when we both turned sixteen, chances are we would work in the same place. Jane loves her music, and as long as Calliope and I are together, there’s Jane at the ready. They will always be a part of my life, no matter what happens and what changes I go through.

It’s the uncertainty that bothers me. Atlas is what bothers me. Despite only meeting him once, and interacting with him for only a few minutes, he’s stuck in my head. He consumes every thought, every breath.

Yet, I just met him.